Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sunday: Long Day Of NASCAR TV

The full NASCAR TV schedule is on the left side of the TDP main page. If you are viewing this on a smart phone, use the "view web version" link at the bottom of the page to see the schedule.

ESPN2 offers NASCAR Now at 9AM and SPEED offers RaceDay at 10:30AM. Both NASCAR TV partners are in year six of the current contract and yet these two shows could not be more different.

NASCAR Now is a typically scripted ESPN program featuring men and women following the ESPN dress code to the letter and speaking in a professional manner on topics discussed well in advance. The information gets out, but this TV formula is getting old.

RaceDay is a wonderful mess. The host wears the 2012 mandatory Men's Wearhouse blue blazer while the other three panelists are a mix of sponsor logos and no-iron twill. One reporter is a college graduate in television with a racing family background and a spotless track record. The other is a former pit crew trainer fired after a Kevin Harvick tirade who has a background as a small college baseball coach.

Once these shows are done, FOX begins its own version of the pre-race dance with Chris Myers and the Waltrip brothers. This on-air dynamic features Myers trying to keep Darrell on topic and also control the breathless excitement that Michael seems to have about every topic he gets to address. It certainly is interesting to watch.

Mike Joy gets the assignment of trying to explain progressive banking once again and how the racing is actually better than the Bristol of old. Good luck selling that to a fan base that seems to have largely walked away once the single groove gladiator track was turned into a mini-Michigan. Gas mileage and tire strategy anyone? At least Mr. Vickers returns at a track notorious for paybacks.

We will be on Twitter for a live stream all day long beginning at 10AM. Please join us as most of our friends have for a very interactive and entertaining time.

TDP is twitter.com/thedalyplanet and you can see our live stream by typing #TDP1 into the search box. It's easy, simple and is light years better than any Internet chat or live blog.

There will be a race review blog posted immediately as FOX signs-off for your long-form comments on the race coverage. Stop back by and let it fly when things are done. Have a great Sunday!

13 comments:

Keith
said...

It seems as if you prefer that the folks covering the race be the show. All of the characters that you describe on race day make it sound as if we are watching a reality TV show instead of the race. I was under the impression that the race and those competing were supposed to be the story, not Rutledge, Petty, and Elliot Sadler playing pictionary on a whiteboard.

Personally I want information about Robby Gordon's EFI, why McClaren isn't at the track, why Dodge isn't at the track, why is Bruton talking about building a road course in Nevada instead of changing Bristol back?

I don't need to hear M. Waltrip promoting his race team.

BTW - Nice job plugging Waltrip's sponsor on your home page! Oh wait that is a story line for today's race. It's so confusing. Its just like race coverage on Speed/Fox, the line between journalism and self-promotion so forever blurred that you no longer care about the subject.

The Pre-Race shows are to hard watch and enjoy. Its shampoo, rinse and repeat. I like listening to Clair B Lang on Sirus/Xm. She is unscripted and flows with any topic the drivers want to talk about, no hidden agenda. Very enjoyable!

Mikey == we need less and lessand his excitement causes meto grab the remote. The thing is The suits must lovehim ..which means he will be withus forever what a thought eeek. Oh and dont forget -- we will haveWORST WICK all year every weekendthink about that. Too hideous to think about Amen all we can do is pray

The verrrrrrry lasssssst thingwe need is interviews in the pits with the drivers involved inan accident - right after theaccident. One more think what is it withthe Fox crew. They are talking like the world is gonna end today. There is very little hope. sad but true..

I'll save the rest of my comments for after the race, but this mid-race report is still awful.

It's only a sponsor gimmick that puts the announcers in the spotlight talking over unnecessary music while a race goes on in the background. When they are finished, oh wow! There's a battle for the lead. Horrible.

I'll keep my opinion a little cleaner than the one above me. (No call for that kind of language)

Disappointment is the word I'll describe this race because it's used to be one of my favorite tracks to watch on TV, IF, I couldn't go there in person to see it. The new configuration just isn't working for me. I like the old racing the way it used to be.

Racing aside, the TV coverage was a mess. All I saw all day was in-car shots or the front one or two cars all day. Tight shots are okay for Qualifying but for showing a race it does not work! All it would take is to back off a little and show more cars in the shot. We do not need to be able to read every decal on the cars when they're at speed.

First couple races I was hoping they were just getting in the grove and would start doing better. Times up Fox. Do better or see a ratings drop. And for goodness sakes, stop it with continuous commercials. WAY too many!!

Same thing every week we all say it's bad and needs improving. I don't think they care...

Let me thank TDP for being within our earshot and for putting up with it!TV coverage of races is so frustrating one needs a way to vent.When life prevents one from attending races, it would be nice to have the close proximity of visual coverage - instead we get the over jawing of 5-hours of Wallace/Waltrip. I've already cut watching pre-game and tho't I'd do Victory Lane for what FOX failed to cover(again).Not so. Commercials breaks have long been a gripe and now that "Hard" commercials control time, very strange that I could turn to Madness games and they weren't always in break. Then, we come back to a bunch of rhetoric, delaying even further sight of the racing. Petty's comment about 'if you don't like'shows he certainly did not watch TV coverage. Racing doesn't happening only in the leaders. Also, w/o better coverage, some of these teams will never get sponsors. Not everyone roots for the ones in the lead - where IS my driver. FOX also needs better ticker graphics.Ditch the colors, make them legible. I was so hoping Mikey would still be @ LeMans - and I wish Rick A would stop telling him how glad we are to have him back in the booth. WE'RE NOT.So fed up w/his affectations that I'm ready to quit watching.We are OVER-saturated w/him. Yes, I'm old school - watched racing before there was a NASCAR - but that doesn't mean I should adapt to being satisfied w/a third of the race: and only a percentage of that. Barbara